Love Thief Read Free

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    “Maybe you recall the many conversations we had about the weather in the elevator?”
    Then it all came clear, the sexy deep voice, the green eyes, the hard body she had careened into a few months ago. This was the man who wouldn’t stop saying good morning to her every single morning, her neighbor who lived on her floor. Talk about being blind to her surroundings, but she had an excuse. She had been working on her program and was busy. Just because he thought he was all that didn’t mean she had to notice him.
    “Okay, so you know who I am and where I live,” she acknowledged. Charmaine started to turn away from him.
    “Elliot Barone,” he supplied. The words I didn’t ask trembled on her tongue, but that was being anal if he spoke the truth about Amaya.
    “Uh-huh.” Charmaine grabbed Amaya’s arm and hurried her along to the other end of the aisle. Once she ducked around the corner and out of sight, she spun the little girl around so she could get to the backpack. “We haven’t been here five minutes, and you’re already trying to send me to jail?”
    Charmaine pulled out three books, all with stamps from the bookstore on them, and she groaned. After dumping them on a shelf, she hurried Amaya down to the first floor before the manager could catch up to them. Unfortunately, he must have called down to another employee because she was waiting at the front door when they got there. Could this day get any worse?
    “We don’t have anything,” Charmaine said and showed the empty bag. Her stomach knotted. She had never been in trouble with the law, although Stacia had been arrested countless times for drunk and disorderly conduct.
    “I’m sorry, ma’am,” the hard-faced woman with the head of static filled hair said. She looked like she was having a bad day too and wanted to take it out on Charmaine. “We can’t just let people walk in here and take books just because they’re used. We have a business to run.”
    Charmaine got her back up. “Oh really, you just assume because some man accused us, we’re guilty? Did you see us take anything?” She had a moment of panic thinking they had security cameras.
    “I was mistaken,” came a deep voice behind her. “As you can see, the backpack’s empty.”
    Charmaine stiffened. Why was he defending them now? He had obviously seen the books because Charmaine took them out. Plus, this wasn’t the first time Amaya had stolen.
    Maybe the green eyes and the voice worked, because the woman started trying to fix her hair and almost simpered. “Well, please be more careful next time.”
    Charmaine barreled past, holding onto Amaya’s hand. When they got to the street, stopped the little girl beside her car. “What is up with you? Why do you keep doing this? Those books weren’t even anything anybody would want.”
    Amaya bowed her head and twisted her fingers together. “Sorry, Aunt Charmaine.”
    “You keep saying sorry, but you don’t stop!”
    “Maybe there’s a reason she’s doing it,” came the nosy voice again.
    Charmaine sighed and straightened. “Why are you following us?”
    He leaned against the car and smiled. Nice smile with the eyes. Okay, stop, Charmaine, for real! You don’t have time for him.
    “Can I buy you two ladies lunch?”
    She stared at him.
    “I mean to make up for almost getting you thrown in jail and all.”
    “No, thank you.” Charmaine shuffled Amaya into the car.
    He looked so disappointed, it shocked her. Didn’t men usually hide their feelings, like playing it off that they weren’t that interested anyway? “It was a little mistake. How about not telling her mother?”
    Charmaine had a twinge of pain. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away away from the car and Amaya’s hearing. “My sister is dead. She died six months ago when one of her— Never mind. You don’t need those details. Anyway, she’s gone, and I have custody of Amaya. This isn’t the first time she’s stolen things either. For the